Jonathan Commends PDP For Setting The Pace For Participatory Democracy

?President Goodluck Jonathan has commended the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for setting the pace for participatory democracy in the country.

The President spoke on Thursday night at a dinner he hosted for members of the immediate-past National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP at the State House.

Jonathan also lauded the party for maintaining its status as the biggest party in the country.

He noted that the former NWC members had exhibited quality service delivery through PDP’s success at the 2011 general elections and the initiation of reforms to reposition the party for the implementation of his administration’s transformation agenda.

“A political party is a warehouse for addressing concerns and the platform for necessary political engineering for statecraft,’’ he said.

Jonathan stressed that he was proud of the achievements of the PDP, assuring the outgoing NWC members that the party would never forget their labour.

Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, the former Acting National Chairman of PDP, commended the President for promoting independence and prudent management in the party’s funding.

He noted that the PDP had become better for it in the last few years.

Speaking later with newsmen, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the National PDP Chairman, said that his agenda for the party would be hinged on “three Rs: Reconciliation, Reform and Rebuilding’’. (NAN)